capriole

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June 22, 2026

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The capriole is a specific, advanced movement in dressage, a discipline focused on the systematic training of horses. It involves a vertical leap where the horse draws in its forelegs and kicks its hind legs horizontally backward at the peak of the jump, landing in the same spot. This spectacular maneuver is part of haute école, or "high school" dressage, representing a highly developed form of horsemanship that aims for perfect balance, obedience, and harmony between horse and rider. The term can also refer to a playful leap or caper.123

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dressage
…at the levade; and the capriole, in which the horse jumps straight upward, with its forelegs drawn in, kicking back with its hind legs horizontal, and lands again in the same spot from which it took off.
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…at the levade; and the capriole, in which the horse jumps straight upward, with its forelegs drawn in, kicking back with its hind legs horizontal, and lands again in the same spot from which it took off.
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horsemanship
Dressage
and the croupade, ballotade, and capriole, a variety of spectacular airs in which the horse jumps and lands again in the same spot.
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and the croupade, ballotade, and capriole, a variety of spectacular airs in which the horse jumps and lands again in the same spot.
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